Learning at home: Some parents choose to teach their own kids

SAN MARCOS - There are no school bells ringing at Tracy
Shepard's home, but her three children, Allison, Max and Faith,
know exactly when it's time to review math equations and when the
daily language-arts lesson will take place.

By 7:30 a.m. sharp, all three are either at the kitchen table or
in a spare room in the family's home to recite the Pledge of
Allegiance and hit the books.

Their daily routine is that of many local families who have
decided to take an alternative route to education and home-school
their children rather than sending them to one of the 17 public
school sites in the 16,500-student San Marcos Unified School
District.

Shepard, who studied education at San Diego State University,
said the decision to home-school her children was simple.

"I wanted to teach my own kids," said Shepard. "I am the only
one who can tailor their learning needs and find their true
strengths."

San Marcos Superintendent Kevin Holt said he believes in giving
parents options and respects the fact that some choose not to
enroll their children in the district's schools.

"Home-schooling meets the needs of many families," said Holt.
"Although I am an advocate of public K-12 schools, I understand
there are students that have specific needs and home-schooling is
their best option."

A personal approach

According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 1.1
million students are being home-schooled in the United States. In
1999, the number was estimated at 800,000.

San Marcos resident Marina Karavokiris, who home-schools her two
children, Dimitri, a kindergartener, and Lea, a second-grader, said
she joined the growing number of parents after she observed as a
public school teacher that students were not challenged by the
curriculum and did not get the individual attention that they
needed.

Karavokiris said she found that home-schooling was the only way
to ensure her children get a "one-on-one" education.

"When a teacher has 20 or more students in a classroom they
can't meet all of their individual needs," said Karavokiris, who
has two master's degrees and teaching credentials. "That is why so
many kids fall through the cracks."

In her home, Karavokiris, like Shepard, has set up a mock
classroom where she conducts daily classes based on curriculum she
has handpicked from online home school programs.

Karavokiris said that although her family lives within the
boundaries of Discovery Elementary, she has chosen to follow the
home-schooling path despite positive comments she hears about the
school and its academic programs.

"The neighbors are all happy with Discovery," said Karavokiris.
"But I see a big difference in academics and behavior when I
compare my kids to theirs."

For example, Karavokiris said, since she began home-schooling,
her daughter has memorized multiplication tables and her son has
excelled in penmanship. Both have also scored two grade levels
ahead in tests that are given as part of the home-school
curriculum, she said.

"At home, there no interruptions or disciplinary problems," said
Karavokiris. "The kids sit down and work until they are done. There
is no waste of time."

Other parents, such as San Marcos resident Wendy Garrett, said
she has home-schooled her son, Justin, a seventh-grader, since he
was in kindergarten because of her older son's experiences in
public schools.

"My oldest loved to learn and as a result was picked on at
school," said Garrett. "Once I started home-schooling him, he just
flourished."

Garrett said her younger son, Justin, struggled with learning at
an early age and that home-schooling worked well for him.

"I think if I'd put him in public school, he would've gotten
lost," said Garrett.

Supplemental support

Although all three mothers, Shepard, Karavokiris, and Garrett,
have taken charge of their children's education, they have not
tackled home-schooling alone.

Their children attend the Classical Academy, a charter school in
Escondido that caters to more than 700 home-schooled children in
the region.

Similarly, 254 students from around the region attend the San
Marcos charter school Bayshore Prep that opened in 2005 and caters
to home-schooled students in grades K-12. The students attend a
number of classes at the school once a week that supplement their
curriculum at home.

There are about 210 San Marcos families who use the Classical
Academy campus to supplement their children's home-schooling
curriculum, according to officials.

The charter school, which has been open since 1999, offers
home-schooled students optional weekly workshops and Friday labs in
subjects such as Spanish, music or computer classes so that they
can spend time with other children their age and become motivated
to take more courses.

Michelle Stanley, marketing director for the school, said it has
become very popular among San Marcos parents and home-schooled
students in recent years because it helps meet socialization
needs.

Stanley said the charter school hosts park days, movie nights,
musical theater and numerous other extracurricular activities so
that home-schooled students are able to socialize with one
another.

"The interesting thing is, home-schooling families are very busy
with activities," said Stanley. "They have a lot more time than
other parents. They get a lot more involved with their communities
and church groups."

Shepard said her two children are actively involved with The
Movement, a nondenominational Christian church in San Marcos, as
well as with the Classical Academy.

"They do a lot of socializing when they're at school," said
Shepard. "They also participate in community Bible studies with
others."

In addition to the classes at the Classical Academy,
home-schooled students and their parents make the short drive to
the Escondido campus every five weeks to meet with an educational
specialist, Stanley said.

The specialists are in charge of reviewing all completed course
work and making sure they meet state standards.

"It's a huge difference from having to meet with a public school
teacher twice a year," said Karavokiris. "This way, if there is a
problem, you can tackle it earlier."

Kavarokiris said she is planning to continue home-schooling but
would consider public schools in the future if her children want a
traditional school setting.

Meanwhile, she said she wants to make the most out of
home-schooling.

"I want to be able to say I produced two outstanding citizens,"
said Kavarokiris.